FBI official under investigation after allegedly altering document in 2016 Russia probe (DOJ IG Report thread) (1 Viewer)

[bdb13]

Washington (CNN) —

An FBI official is under criminal investigation after allegedly altering a document related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser, several people briefed on the matter told CNN.

The possibility of a substantive change to an investigative document is likely to fuel accusations from President Donald Trump and his allies that the FBI committed wrongdoing in its investigation of connections between Russian election meddling and the Trump campaign.

The finding is expected to be part of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's review of the FBI's effort to obtain warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign aide. Horowitz will release the report next month.

Horowitz turned over evidence on the allegedly altered document to John Durham, the federal prosecutor appointed early this year by Attorney General William Barr to conduct a broad investigation of intelligence gathered for the Russia probe by the CIA and other agencies, including the FBI. The altered document is also at least one focus of Durham's criminal probe.

Exclusive: Former FBI lawyer under investigation after allegedly altering document in 2016 Russia probe - CNN Politics

A former FBI lawyer is under criminal investigation after allegedly altering a document related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser, several people briefed on the matter told CNN.

www-m.cnn.com

Terrible if true. Trump will obviously seize upon this.

 

[MT15]

I have not read the entire report, but I have read excerpts. Especially the conclusions, which as I recall state these items, among others:

1. the FBI had due cause to open their investigation, there was no proof that anything other than information provided by Australia to open the investigation. In other words, the dossier had nothing to do with opening the investigation, despite the assertions of Trump to the contrary.

2. there was no political influence from Strzok or Page on the investigation. They did not allow their distaste for Trump to influence their work, nor were they in a position to do so, despite histrionics to the contrary by Trump.
In fact, he found no evidence of political bias in the investigation.

The criticisms raised about the investigation seemed to me to stem largely from the idea that the FBI, while strictly following current policies and meeting their own obligations, need some stricter policies in the case where a major political campaign is the subject of such an investigation. To me this just underscores how unusual and unprecedented were the actions of the Trump campaign.

From the report:

“We also reviewed the text messages and emails of each of the FBI officials, in addition to Strzok, who participated in the decision to open Crossfire Hurricane and the four individual cases, and did not identify any statements in those communications that indicated or suggested the decision could have been affected by political bias or other improper considerations. We also reviewed other contemporaneous documents, such as meeting notes, and asked witnesses who were not involved in the decision to open Crossfire Hurricane but who were familiar with the predication for the case for any evidence of political bias or improper motivation in the FBI's decision making. Again, we found no such evidence, including from Department officials briefed about Crossfire Hurricane subsequent to it being opened. These officials also did not express any concerns about the FBI's decision to open the investigation. By way of example, David Laufman, then Chief of the National Security Division's (NSD) Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), told us that it would have been "a dereliction of duty and responsibility of the highest order not to commit the appropriate resources as urgently as possible to run these facts to the ground, and find out what was going on." Emphasis mine.

There was also found to be no political bias in the decision to investigate Carter Page. The FISA applications are a whole ‘nother problem, but that really didn’t involve the Trump campaign in any way.

To hear you guys tell it, this is a complete indictment of the FBI investigation into the Trump campaign, when almost all of the problems were with the Carter Page investigation. Nobody abused Trump, nor anyone involved with the campaign. Carter Page left the campaign before any of this happened. As far as I can tell, Carter Page is the only individual who has any reason to complain in this matter.

 

[BobE]

I'll let some one smarter than me decipher this

 

[MT15]

So, yeah, Carter Page was victimized. It had nothing to do with the Trump campaign investigation. She is posting stuff that came out with the IG report weeks ago. I don’t think this is new info.

 

[Beach Friends]

So, yeah, Carter Page was victimized. It had nothing to do with the Trump campaign investigation. She is posting stuff that came out with the IG report weeks ago. I don’t think this is new info.

 

[MT15]

So, this is an opinion, correct? You have nothing to back that up? Forgive me if I doubt that source, he’s clearly partisan.

 

[Beach Friends]

So, this is an opinion, correct? You have nothing to back that up? Forgive me if I doubt that source, he’s clearly partisan.

My source was the Attorney General. But, since you don't like that source let's just use some logic. Do you really question whether the IC looked at Paige's electronic communications before the date of the FISA warrant? Do you have a source that addresses that specifically?

Also, have you heard of the two hop rule?

This may be one of Rachel Maddow's talking points that you just have to give up.

 

[MT15]

I don’t have any Rachel Maddow talking points, I’m winging it here. I’m trying to cut through the insane amount of crap being spewed by conspiracy theorists. They are not helping this country.

Do you really believe that the FBI went “rogue” and tried to keep Trump from being elected?

 

[SaintForLife]

The 2 hop or 3 hop rule means that it's very likely that the FBI surveilled other members of the Trump campaign.

These documents also tell us the FISC routinely includes authorization in their warrants for the government to surveil people in contact with their target, and people in contact with the contact; in a scheme referred to as “chaining,” these authorizations will include 2 or 3 “hops.” While the text of the Carter Page warrant application, and court approval, remain a secret, one shudders to think this authority was used to spy upon other members of the Trump campaign team who were in contact with Page. (The memo of the House intelligence committee’s Democrats about the warrant suggests that some unknown number of Trump campaign advisors were the subject of FBI “sub-inquiries.”)

The FBI's secret warrant to surveil Carter Page should scare all Americans and spur reform

A secret, non-adversarial system of judicial review is an insufficient check to our intelligence agencies and law enforcement.

www-nbcnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[SaintForLife]

I'm curious to see what Durham finds. It could be nothing, but from all the information out there it seems like he will find something in addition to the IG report.

 

[Archies Ghost]

What if the FISA warrants were deemed to be invalid?

Lacking probable cause?

 

[SaintForLife]

What if the FISA warrants were deemed to be invalid?

Lacking probable cause?

 

[samiam5211]

Are you concerned about the truth or your client?

 

[SaintForLife]

Are you concerned about the truth or your client?

Are you concerned about the truth or only the removal of Trump by any means necessary?

 

[samiam5211]

Are you concerned about the truth or only the removal of Trump by any means necessary?

Both.

 

[SaintForLife]

Both.

It doesn't seem like you are interested in the truth. What do you think about those FISA warrants being invalid?
You always seem to have a question that has nothing to do with the thread or post you are replying to. Next time maybe I'll try to predict your response.

 

[samiam5211]

It doesn't seem like you are interested in the truth. What do you think about those FISA warrants being invalid?
You always seem to have a question that has nothing to do with the thread or post you are replying to. Next time maybe I'll try to predict your response.

What do you think the FISA warrant on Carter Page being invalid would change about anything we found out about Trump?

 

[Archies Ghost]

What do you think the FISA warrant on Carter Page being invalid would change about anything we found out about Trump?

DOJ has found two of the four FISA warrants illegal and is not challenging the illegality of the other two.

It is quite possible that this could lead to nullification of all past or future convictions related to the Mueller investigation.

Keep telling yourself this is only about Carter Page and related to nothing else.

Those of us actually paying attention understand the far reaching implications of ILLEGAL FISA applications used to investigate a presidential candidate.

You have made it obvious that you are fine with anything that might have a slight chance of damaging Trump, no matter the cost to the Republic.

 

[samiam5211]

DOJ has found two of the four FISA warrants illegal and is not challenging the illegality of the other two.

It is quite possible that this could lead to nullification of all past or future convictions related to the Mueller investigation.

Keep telling yourself this is only about Carter Page and related to nothing else.

Those of us actually paying attention understand the far reaching implications of ILLEGAL FISA applications used to investigate a presidential candidate.

You have made it obvious that you are fine with anything that might have a slight chance of damaging Trump, no matter the cost to the Republic.

If the convictions are overturned, will we unknow the things we know? Does it make the things we know not true?

it matters for legal reasons, and any improper convictions should be overturned, but it doesn't change any of the meaningful facts.

Illgotten facts are still facts. Maybe not admissible in court, but it doesn't mean they aren't facts.